New Big Data Guidelines

Big data is increasingly used by government institutions to shape and improve policies, programs and services affecting the public they serve. While big data may benefit individuals, it also raises a number of privacy, fairness and ethical concerns about how institutions use it to process personal information. Institutions should understand and address these concerns to prevent unexpected, invasive, inaccurate or discriminatory uses of personal information.

Today, the IPC released new Big Data Guidelines that inform institutions of the key issues to consider and best practices to follow when they conduct big data projects. These guidelines offer practical guidance to ensure that personal information is appropriately collected, used, retained and disclosed throughout the project. Institutions with the legal authority to conduct big data projects should follow the best practices developed in these guidelines.